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A wild and often forgoten part of David's life
This week's reading:
1 Samuel 27
1 Samuel 29
1 Samuel 30
Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
Nearing the end of it, but still more running & hiding from Saul and angst!
This week's reading:
1 Samuel 26
Psalms 54
Psalms 57
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Bill posts:
This is the final of a series of Saul vs. David stories. I again shake my head at the poetry of it. It seems like a children’s fable or morality play. Again David refuses to harm Saul after Saul comes after him with 3,000 men. Both Saul and David are clearly popular and powerful by this time.
Psalm 54. The Ziphites have betrayed him and David cries out to God. Short and poignant, keep a marker here and read it on that day when you feel like the world has lined up against you.
Psalm 57. Interesting how in the stories David seems to get the best Saul time after time, but in the
Psalms you see the feelings of a very real person in a predicament. Not a weak person or a coward, but
rather a person with very real enemies and an equally real trust in God.
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Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
We take a step away from battles and Saul for something entirely different . . .
This week's reading:
1 Samuel 25
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Bill posts:
Does anyone else do a double-take every time you get half way through First Samuel and Samuel dies? Maybe the books should have been called first and second David!
I wonder about this story. Was David as blameless in this mess as history recalls? Was Nabal that big of an idiot? I mean, all guys get full of themselves, but surely David could have taken all he asked by force if he decided to (and he almost did).
Another strong woman story from the Bible, of course.
The really poignant thing for me reading this crazy tale, is the story of David and Michal. Michal was his first wife, and likely his true love. Here we find that Saul has given her to someone else now, even though she was married to David. There will be more about her later on in the Bible. We find, however, that David has already remarried (Ahinoam), and now he also takes Abigail, which would have been considered to be an honorable, compassionate thing to do after she was left widowed. Probably didn’t hurt that she was beautiful.
Now in the law of Moses there is a special subsection with three rules for kings, one of which was not to have multiple wives. Here’s David, the ultimate king, and he already has three wives before he even becomes king. Polygamy was not common or encouraged at the time, but apparently people looked at their “heroes” differently.
Do the incidents described in this chapter seem plausible? What can be learned from this incident?
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Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
Something more about the character of David as a person this week. What do these events
and the way David reacts say about him?
This week's reading:
1 Samuel 23-24
A Cave at Ein Gedi National Park in Israel
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Swim.musician101 posts:
In chapter 23, I love the communication between David and God. He is
always asking God what is happening and what he should do. I think that is part of
why David was a man "after God's own heart." He wasn't perfect, but he had this
great communication in his relationship with God. I think sometimes, or actually a
lot of times, we forget that we can just talk to God like we talk to the people we
are in relationships with. It's not so much about WHAT we say to God, but more THAT
we talk to Him. I mean, what is a relationship without good communication??
In
chapter 24, David spares Saul's life, which is one of my favorite passages about
David. He does just enough (cuts off a piece of his robe) to let Saul know that he
could very well have killed him. He does this to show he is loyal to Saul and did
not wrong him. It touches Saul so much that he changes the way he views David. The
whole thing is just really powerful.
Bill posts:
As I pursue this week’s selection, I’m reminded that this material was probably written when David was king in an effort to record his life’s history. He was a popular king, and maybe the greatest god-fearing man of all time. Certainly in the top 100. The thing is, these accounts are all from David’s point of view, and tend to present David in the best possible light. Now as we see things have completely gotten out of hand between David and Saul, yet note that Saul is still popular enough with his people that whole armies are willing to follow him in pursuit of David.
Sometimes I find these passages easy to skim and dismiss as not interesting (David goes someplace I've never heard of and
drives out some Philistines), but looking closer at the events you can see a lot of humanity in both decisions that are made and individual reactions to events. This is both immediate and easy to relate to.
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Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
This week begins what had to have been one of the really dificult times of his life. The
future greatest of all the kings is a fugitive from his own land. If you can't think of
something to post, find a picture to share that reflects the mood of the week's passage.
This week's reading:
1 Samuel 21-22
A sword fit for a king?
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Bill posts:
Wow, David pretending to be a madman, gathering his brothers and various reprobates around him, providing
for his parents so that Saul couldn't get at them. Saul's implacable anger at David. Note that David
is recorded to have gotten Goliath's sword from the priest Ahimelech here when earlier we read that he took
Goliath's weapons to his tent. Hard to say, but the point being that David used Goliath's sword, which is
important because it would have been made from iron (an early form of steel I suppose). The Philistines
could work iron, while Israel was still in the bronze age at this time. David not only is a formidable warrior, but also
has the best weapon now.
Still, the overarching story here is that of David and Ahimelech. Ahimelech lets David and his men
eat the holy bread normally reserved for the priests, but then as a result he, his colleagues, and it sounds like
the entire town including their families are all slaughtered by Saul (although notice that no Israelite
dared to touch one of the priests). David takes responsibility for their deaths, but nobody seems to blame him.
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Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
Just two this week. The Psalm doesn't mesh directly with the David story,
but it's short and I think captures the mood well. What do you think?
This week's reading:
1 Samuel 20
Psalms 26
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Bill posts:
“Let us go out into the field.” The nice thing about Jonathan and David’s friendship is that it seems so natural. Probably why it is easy to relate to. Both great guys with their own personal accomplishments, but they just got on well and enjoyed doing things together.
A couple of things have always puzzled me here. First off, why in the world the elaborate signal with the arrows when they are able to just speak together immediately afterwards? Seems vaguely pointless. . . .
Also, why was it so hard for Jonathan to understand the depth of his father’s growing hatred of David? Things certainly get a bit out of hand at the feast, with Saul insulting both him and his mom, then tossing a spear at him. Get a clue.
Note how far Israel had come during Saul’s reign. From not having a king at all to having a king who’s increasingly irrational behavior goes unchallenged.
Psalm 26 seems to speak to the situation David was in here. Feeling like you’d done all of the right things, but somehow still in risk of losing it all. I’m not as righteous as David, nor have I had his problems, but the idea of looking to God and saying “test me, oh Lord and try me” sounds like the foolishness of pride,
although such words have been uttered in all humility.
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Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
One-for-seven so far have posted. Not a good average, but not a shocking one
either. It's hard to go first. This week sees the inclusion of a
Psalm, attributed to the episode in 1 Samuel 19 when David's wife Michal helps
him sneak out of his own house. (ever wonder why so many Psalms
seem a bit, well, stressful?
This week's reading:
1 Samuel 18-19
Psalms 59
Just climbing out the window here
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Bill posts:
Is Saul among the prophets? What a bizarre little story, I’d forgotten about that one. I’d also forgotten about David escaping through the window while his wife puts a dummy in his bed. What is this, a B-movie? Most of this is great, the introduction of David & Jonathan’s friendship, the young love with David and Michal (yes Bible people were “in love” too!!!), the complicated relationship between David & Saul with Saul jealous and a bit unstable while David is loyal and faithful. Note also that some incidents seem to be repeated, suggesting again that the story we have was a blending of multiple sources.
What do you think about Psalm 59? Obviously the story of David escaping from Saul became rather famous at some point. Do you think that David wrote any of it at the time, or was this more a reflection upon the events? What does it suggest about David and how he felt that night? How does he seem to see God? I offer questions only to stir thoughts, feel no pressure to answer, but please do share your thoughts. Seems a bit self-righteous to me, but then he was King David after all.
Swim.musician101 posts:
A couple things stick out to me in the passage in Samuel. One of them is
how it describes David and Jonathan's friendship. The author of the passage says
that Jonathan "loved David as himself." Now THAT is a deep friendship! Another
thing I think is interesting is the fact that Saul becomes afraid of David because
he realizes that God is with David and works through him, but Saul no longer
experiences that for himself. So he gets jealous AND scared. He's thinking "Hey
man, this David guy is popular with the people, and he's a great soldier, and God is
working through him... and I'm the king around here!!" When Saul plans to kill
David, he tells Jonathan to do it. But instead of obeying his father AND king, he
goes to David and warns him of the situation. I think Michal is pretty clever in her
way of letting David escape. Everything that Jonathan and Michal do for David show
their immense love for him...
I love how Psalm 59 begins with David crying out to the
Lord for help ("Deliver me from my enemies, O God") and ends with praise ("O my
Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God") I
think it shows how David was able, even in the midst of distress, to realize that
God was still there and that He is David's (and our) fortress and strength. Many
times it is hard for us to remember that God is there and that He is our strength
when we're in the midst of something negative or distressing. But these are the
times that it's most important for us to remember this. I like reading Psalms such
as this one when I am in the midst of something difficult. At the beginning it's
like I'm asking God for help and almost venting about the bad things, but by the end
I am able to remember that God is still in control and that He is my strong tower.
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Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
Online Bible study? Hunh?
Well, who knows? It's worth a try!
Ron shared with me that Bible study is like tithing. If you do it first you'll find the time
(or money), if you leave it for last you won't. As you ponder what to share to get the discussion
started, why not share about when works best for you to read your Bible. Did you read the
passage online, or in your Bible? Did you try to do it all at once or break it up? Did it seem
like a lot of work, or was it pretty easy?
January 18-25 reading:
1 Samuel 16-17
Where David likely found his stones
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Bill posts:
Two of the most famous stories about David, his being chosen amongst his older brothers, and
fighting that Goliath guy. Interesting how the two chapters seem to have been written at
different times, maybe by different people. Notice how they both describe different events
bringing David to Saul's attention.
JS posts:
I cannot imagine what it would be like to be David. He was just plucked
from the fields one day and anointed to be the next king of Israel. Then, he goes to
give his brother food and ends up killing a giant and cutting off his head. It would
be so crazy to have your life changed so rapidly in such short time. And it
really amuses me the way David and Eliab act towards each others. I guess siblings
never did get along, even in the bible!
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Share your thoughts here: my input, or email
the discussion at biblestudy (at) fslumchs (dot) org.
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